Waza National Park

Waza National Park lies in the Sahel transition zone where the savanna of the Chad basin gives way to the semi-desert of the farther north, a landscape of flat to gently undulating terrain covered in scrubby acacias, doum palms and sparse grass that turns golden in the dry season and brown in the months between the rains.

The park was originally a colonial hunting reserve created in 1934 under French mandatory administration and was formally redesignated as a national park in 1968, later gaining recognition as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — a reflection of its importance as a refuge for wildlife that has largely disappeared from the surrounding Sahel.

The elephants are the undoubted draw: Waza holds one of the largest elephant populations in West and Central Africa, and herds of thirty or more can be seen moving between the park's scattered watering points in the dry season when surface water outside the park is scarce and the animals concentrate where the water is reliable.

The flat terrain means wildlife is visible across long distances, and the combination of elephant, Kordofan giraffe, red-flanked duiker, roan antelope, buffalo and lion gives the park a safari character more commonly associated with East or Southern Africa than with the Sahel zone of Central Africa.

The birdlife is exceptional for a site of its latitude: over 300 species have been recorded in the park including the Arabian bustard, Denham's bustard, black stork and several species of vulture that are rarely seen elsewhere in West Africa, making it one of the most important birdwatching destinations on the continent.

The park's eastern boundary runs along the fault scarp that marks the edge of the Chad basin, and from the higher ground here the view extends east across a landscape where the boundary between protected park and unprotected grazing land is starkly visible in the difference between the woody density inside the park and the degraded scrub outside.

Access to the park is by 4WD vehicle with a local guide, and the early morning game drives when the elephants come to water and the heat is still cool offer the most rewarding wildlife encounters of the day, with the best light for photography and the most animal activity concentrated near the permanent water sources.

The camel herds that graze in the northern part of the park are a reminder that Waza sits at the edge of the Sahel, where the pastoral economy of the Far North begins and herders move their animals between dry-season and wet-season grazing grounds in a pattern that has continued for centuries.

Waza holds one of the largest and most accessible elephant populations in West Africa, with herds visible from the park roads in a way that is rare across the region.

The Sahel savanna ecosystem, often overshadowed by the rainforests of southern Cameroon, provides a completely different landscape and wildlife experience within the same country.

Over 300 bird species have been recorded in the park, making it one of the most important birdwatching sites in the Sahel zone.